Tumors that develop in the kidney include renal cell carcinoma (in adults), Wilms tumor (in children) and uncommonly sarcoma.
Kidney cancer can be diagnosed through evaluation of imaging and biochemical tests. Imaging methods include computed tomography (CT) scanning and angiography. Biochemical evaluation involves using a probe such as an antibody that binds specifically to a diagnostic marker, which is a kidney cancer-specific protein or gene that is up- or down-regulated specifically in the tissues of kidney cancer.
Many biochemical diagnostic methods based on using a kidney cancer-specific mRNA or protein have been developed to detect renal cell carcinoma. For example, International Pat. Publication No. WO2005/024603 employs the differential expression of a gene between normal and tumor tissues. Lein, M. et al. suggested that MMP-2, which is overexpressed in kidney cancer, may be useful as a diagnostic marker of kidney cancer (International Journal of Cancer, 2000, Vol. 85, p 801-804). Also, TNFRSF7, which is expressed at high levels when renal function is abnormal, has the potential as a diagnostic marker for kidney cancer (Nakatsuji, T., Clinical and Exprerimental Medicine, 2003, Vol. 2, p 192-196). Other proteins which are overexpressed by kidney cancer and thus useful as diagnostic markers of kidney cancer, include MCM3AP (JP Pat. Publication No. 2005-520536), KRT19 (JP Pat. Publication No. 2005-507997), SLK4 (WO2002/06339), FGF2 (Miyake, H. et al., 1996, Cancer Research, Vol. 56, p 2440-2445), MMP14 (Kitagawa, Y., 1999, Journal of Urology, Vol. 162, p 905-909), and ERBB2 (Freeman, M. R., 1989, Cancer Research, Vol. 49, p 6221-6225). Further, International Pat. Publication Nos. WO2006/099485A2 and WO2003/046581 and U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2006/0183120A1 disclose methods of diagnosing kidney cancer based on using specific diagnostic markers.
The present invention has been completed based on using proteins specific to renal cell carcinoma as diagnostic markers therefor.